Ronaldo set 8-game Spanish mark of 15 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to set a Spanish league record with 15 goals in the first eight games of a La Liga season as Real Madrid beat Levente 5-0, and Lionel Messi scored in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Elbar to reach 250 league goals and move within one of Telmo Zarra’s mark.

Southampton routed Sunderland 8-0 in England, falling one goal shy of the Premier League record for victory margin. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero scored all his team’s goals in a 4-1 win over Tottenham, and league- leading Chelsea escaped with a gritty 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.

A look at Europe’s top leagues Saturday:

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SPAIN

Ronaldo converted a penalty kick in the 13th minute and added a goal in the 61st to break the league’s previous eight-game scoring standard of 14, set by Oviedo’s Esteban Echevarria in 1943-44. Ronaldo, who missed a league game, has 19 goals in 12 games in all competitions. Javier Hernandez, James Rodriguez and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon also scored for visiting Real Madrid (6-2), which trails Barcelona (7-0-1) by four points.

Messi set up Xavi Hernandez’s goal in the 60th minute in Barcelona, Neymar doubled the lead in the 72nd and Messi scored two minutes later. Messi can match Zarra’s milestone, which has stood since 1955, next weekend at Real Madrid — when Luis Suarez could make his Barcelona competitive debut following a four-month suspension for biting Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match.

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ENGLAND

Third-place Southampton (5-2-1) fell one goal shy of the Premier League victory margin mark, set by Manchester United in a 9-0 win over Ipswich on March 4, 1995. American forward Jozy Altidore did not dress for the Black Cats.

Tim Howard won his third straight game against American teammate Brad Guzan as Everton defeated visiting Aston Villa 3-0 on goals by Phil Jagielka, Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman.

Chelsea (7-0-1) preserved its five-point lead over second-place Manchester City (5-1-2) by winning at Selhurst Park as Oscar scored on a 30-yard free kick in the sixth minute and Cesc Fabregas added his first league goal for Chelsea in the 51st. Fraizer Campbell scored in the 90th minute for Palace.

Danny Welbeck scored in second-half stoppage time to give Arsenal (2-1-5) a 2-2 draw at home with Hull.

West Ham (4-3-1) moved into fourth place with a 3-1 win at Burnley on goals by Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Carlton Cole.

Newcastle eased some pressure on manager Alan Pardew by beating Leicester 1-0 on Gabriel Obertan’s 71st-minute goal. Kickoff was delayed an hour after part of a new video screen was dislodged by wind at St. James’ Park.

Second-place Borussia Moenchengladbach won 3-0 at Hannover behind two goals from Max Kruse and one from Granit Xhaka. American defender Fabian Johnson, slowed in recent weeks by an Achilles tendon injury, entered in the 75th minute for the visitors.

Reinstated to the senior team following a demotion to the under-23s, American defender John Brooks entered in the 70th minute of Hertha Berlin’s 2-0 loss at Schalke.

Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 at Cologne, its fourth Bundesliga defeat in five games.